BASKETBALL BRACKETS RELEASED
The third season begins for four Lodi area high school basketball teams on Tuesday.
The Sac-Joaquin Section released its playoff brackets for all six divisions on Thursday afternoon in both boys and girls. Entering the post season are Lodi girls, Liberty Ranch boys, Elliot Christian boys and Liberty Ranch girls.
All four teams concluded league play this week, after gaining experience in preseason tournaments and nonleague games from November through early last month.
The girls’ playoff games will be played next Tuesday and the boys’ contests next Wednesday. Tip-off for each game is 7 p.m.
Lodi girls
Taking the No. 16 seed in Division II, Lodi (16-10), which finished tied with Lincoln for the top spot in the TriCity Athletic League, will play at No. 1 seed Antelope (21-5), which won the Capital Valley Conference title.
According to Lodi coach Brandon Shea, one of the Titans’ strengths is the front court; Antelope has two players who are 6-foot and taller. The Flames’ tallest player is junior forward Brooke Aberle, who is listed at 5’11.
“They are going to be big and athletic,” Shea said. “It’s going to be a tough match up for us.”
Lodi ended its regular season by beating cross-town and TCAL rival Tokay 61-42 at The Jungle on Tuesday. That victory gave the Flames and Lincoln a 7-1 record each, tied for atop of the league. One of the Flames’ victories came against the Trojans, posting a 39-38 win last month. It has
been many years since Lodi has beaten Lincoln in a varsity girls basketball game.
“One of our better games,” said Shea of that contest. “It brought out the best in us.”
In Shea’s mind, Lodi and Lincoln have won a share of the league title. But in an email from Lodi High Assistant Principal Erin Aitken, powerhouse St. Mary’s (22-2), which played Lincoln twice but does not count as league games, is considered the league champion. The Rams automatically earned the the top seed from the TCAL, and are the No. 1 seed in Division I.
“I think it’s a raw deal,” Shea said. “I think it needs to be fixed, but that’s above me. I understand why it happens. Having St. Mary’s in our league is ridiculous because we don’t have the athletes that they have.”
Now that league play is in the past, Lodi is putting together its game plan against the Titans.
“This is a good group of girls; I enjoy coaching them,” Shea said. “We’ll give it our best shot. I’ll take those girls into battle anywhere, anytime.”
Key players for the Flames have been Aberle, guards Marissa Fabian Calista Morita and Malina Nino, and the front court of Zoe Faulkner, Ellie Van Tassel and Isabella Fugazi. Faulkner and Nino are the only seniors on the 12-player roster.
The Lodi-Antelope winner will take on the No. 9 Roseville-No. 8 St. Francis of Sacramento game next Thursday.
Liberty Ranch boys
Grabbing the No. 2 seed, Liberty Ranch (24-3), winners of a third consecutive Sierra Valley Conference title, will host No. 15 Livingston (14-13), a member of the Western Athletic Conference that took third place, in the D-IV opener at the Hawks’ Nest.
Earning that high seed may have came at the St. Hope Elite Hoop Classic on Dec. 30 for the Hawks. Playing playoff rival West Campus at Sacramento High, Liberty Ranch beat the Cougars 67-66 on a last-second, 30-foot 3-pointer by sophomore guard Jalen Patterson. West Campus is the No. 5 seed but in the opposite side of the bracket.
“That was a big win for us,” said Liberty Ranch coach Josh Williams. “They (West Campus) are a very good team. We were able to get the monkey off our backs; we’ve lost to them twice in final four. That win got us a good spot.”
Closing out conference play on Tuesday in Placerville, the Hawks lost a tough 83-82 game to El Dorado, which took second place in the SVC.
“At the end of the day, we wrapped up league,” Williams said. “We had (Wednesday) off and came back (Thursday) focused. We will regroup and get ready for the playoffs.”
In five of the last six seasons, Liberty Ranch have been in the playoffs that included deep runs in the section
and NorCal playoffs. The last time Livingston reached post-season was the 2010-11 season — when this year’s Liberty Ranch players were in elementary school.
This season, teams in D-IV that reach the semifinals, and with the highest seed, will host a semifinal game. Should the Hawks beat Livingston and the No. 10 Calaveras-No. 7 Ripon winner in a quarterfinal game next Friday, it would play Dixon, Highlands, Placer or SVC foe Union Mine, which are in the same bracket, in the semifinals at the Nest.
In recent years, the Hawks have played their semifinal games at The Jungle, which is Tokay High’s gym.
“First off, we built a good relationship with the Tokay site,” Williams said. “But we’re extremely excited to be at home. We’ve talked about winning every game (this season) to get a high seed. We want to continue to be at home.”
Key players for the Hawks this season have been Patterson, guard Chandler Garcia Jaime Gonzalez and Gabriel Nino, and front court players Jayden Baroni and Chris Fielding.
Livingston’s top scorer is guard Kevin Alvarez, averaging 17.2 points per game.
Elliot Christian boys
Last year’s D-V section champions, Elliot (21-7) is the No. 5 seed in the same division. The Eagles will host No. 12 seed LeGrand (12-14), which took third place in the Southern Athletic League.
In a Central California Athletic Association tiebreaking game against Brookside Christian on Wednesday, the Knights defeated the Eagles 77-64. Both teams entered the game at 13-1 each. Per one of its bylaws, the CCAA does not allow co-championships.
If the Eagles would’ve beaten the Knights, they could’ve been the No. 3 seed that Brookside is. But Elliot coach Jason Hitt notes it’s time to focus on the playoffs.
“It is what it is,” Hitt said. “Hopefully, we can make a great playoff run. It’s do or die now. Stats don’t matter anymore; it’s all about playing and moving on. We take one game at a time.”
Elliot practiced and watched game video at Thursday’s practice. The time spent viewing video was very helpful for a young Eagles squad.
“Our guys are embracing their mistakes, and learning from their mistakes and holding themselves accountable,” Hitt said. “I think they will be fine.”
Leading the way for the Eagles this season are guards Nate Bond and Nick Figueroa, and forward Cody Doell. Newcomers include guards Ian Malagon, Ice Caldwell and Nate Gotgotao-Washington, and forward Juan Couey.
Hitt said he is hoping to find out today if the LeGrand-Elliot game would be played at The Jungle. If the gym is not available, the game could be played at McNair, which Elliot has used in recent seasons.
The LeGrand-Elliot winner would
be play the No. 13 Holt Academy-No. 5 Bradshaw Christian winner.
Liberty Ranch girls
Taking third place in the SVC, Liberty Ranch (17-10) is the No. 11 seed, and also hits the road to play at No. 6 Placer of Auburn. Like the other three area squads, this will be the first meeting between the two teams this season.
“I saw them (last) summer at Rocklin High,” said Liberty Ranch coach David Moore, referring to Placer during a summer tournament. “They were pretty strong.”
Liberty Ranch closed out its season on Tuesday with a 58-49 loss to El Dorado, at the Nest. The Hawks outscored the Cougars in the second through third quarters, but El Dorado used a 19-4 scoring advantage in the first quarter that was the difference.
The last time a Liberty Ranch girls basketball team was in the playoffs was during the 2012-13 season — when all of the Hawks’ current players were still in middle school.
Liberty Ranch players who have contributed during the season are Ashley Kirbyson, Kloey Clakins, Olivia Nelson, Briley Jordet, Ana Contreras, Giovanna Parino, Anjolina Garcia and Tori Azevedo.
The Liberty Ranch-Placer winner will play the No. 14 Livingston-No. 3 West Campus of Sacramento contest next Thursday.